Door-controlling device.



A. C. DUNN.

DOOR CONTROLLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.28, 19:4.

Patented Oct. 30, 1917.

, EYE id nivnnnw c. DUNN, or MANKATO, ivrrivnnso'rn.

Specification of Letters Patent.

noon-CONTROLLING DEVICE.

Application filed February 28 1914. 4 Serial No. 821,663.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, ANDREW (llJmvrt, a citizen of. the UnitedStates,fresiding at Mankato, in the county of Blue Earth and State ofMinnesota, have invented new and useful Improvements in Door-ControllingDevices, of which the following is a specification. 7

This invention relates to a door controlling device which operates tosecurely hold the door in its closed position, so that the same will notgape and admit flies or permit the passage of air. A device of thischaracter is applicable to all kinds of doors but more particularly todoors of refrigerators, screen doors and other light doors which areliable to become distorted and assumea position in whichthey-are liableto remain slightly open while in their closed position. i

It is the object f this invention to produce a door controlling deviceperforming these functions which is simple, durable and."

inexpensive in construction; which can be readily applied to variouskinds of doors and which will hold the door reliably in its closedposition.

in the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a detached perspective view, partly in section of the tripforming part of the means whereby the door is held in its closedposition. Fig. 2 ma top plan view of the door closing device showing thesame in its operative position. Fig. 8 is an end elevation thereof. Fig.4 is a perspective view of the presser arm and associated parts showingthe same in the position which it occupies preparatory to closing thedoor. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the same showing the position .ofthe parts when the door is closed. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of thedoor closing device corresponding to Fig. 2.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughoutthe several views.

Mounted ,on the outer face of the jamb of the door frame preferably at apoint immediately below the catch is a presser bracket which isconstructed of sheet metal and which comprises two side pieces orflanges A and G, a web B connecting one pair of correspondinglongitudinal edges of said flanges, two attaching feet or fastening lugs(Z arranged at the inner end of the flanges and adapted to be secured byscrews or otherwise with the frame jamb and a par forated attaching earJ arranged at the innor end of the web B. Upon the outer end of thisbracket is mounted a rocking presser arm which is also preferablyconstructed of sheet metal and comprises two longitudinal flanges orside pieces A and B a transverse Patented Oct. so, 1917.

web 1) connecting the central parts ,of'the i flanges and a perforatedattaching ear H arranged at the inner end of the web D. This presser armis pivotally supported. at its inner end on the presser bracketpreferably by, arranging the inner end of the flanges A 13 between theflanges G and A and pivotally connecting these flanges with each otherby means of pins 72,. At its outer end thepresser arm is provided with apresser roller 7 which is preferably pivoted between the outer ends ofthe flanges of this arm by means of atransverse pivot pin L. Thispresser armis yieldingly held either in its operativeor inoperativeposition by means of a spring 9 which is preferably of helical form andsecured at its opposite ends to the attaching ear H ofthe presser armand the attaching ear J of the presser bracket so that upon turningthis. arm into one or the other extremes of its movement the free end ofthe spring will be carried across the fulcrum of this arm and the springcaused to hold the presser arm yieldingly either in its operative or inits inoperative positions. The shifting of the presser arm into itsoperative position is effected by means of a trip which is mounted onthe adjacent part of the .outer or rear side of the door and whichpreferably comprises a trip flange 0 having an inwardly curved front end0 and connected by a web 79 with the base 5. One end of the roller pivotL is ex. tended to form a tappet or shifting pin Z as shown in Figs.3-6.

While the door is opened more or less fully the presser arm is swungoutwardly into its inoperative position, as shown by full lines in Fig.4, and by dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 6, in which position of thepresser arm the same clears the path of the free edge of the door and isheld yieldingly in this position by the spring 9 owing to the connectionbetween. the free end of this spring and the presser arm at this time being in rear of the fulcrum h. The rearward movement of the presser arminto its inoperative position is limited by a stop device consisting ofthe inner edge of the presser arm web D engaging with the outer edge ofthe bracket web B. During the last portion of the closing movement ofthe door its trip flange c engages its inwardly curved front end 0 withthe tappet Z of the presser arm and causes the latter to be swung from aposition in which the presser rollers clear the door to a 'positioninwhich this roller is arranged in rear of the door. The instant thepresser arm has been turned sufliciently from its inoperative positionto its operative position for bringing the connection between the springg and the presser arm in front of the fulcrum h then the resilience ofthis spring tends to hold the presser arm in its operative position andpress the roller f against the outer or rear side of the door, wherebythe last part of the closing movementof the door is effectedautomatically and the door is yieldingly held in its closed position atits free edge. Any gaping be tweenthe door and door frame is thusprevented which is particularly desirable in the case of light screendoors which must be kept shut tightly in order to prevent the entranceof flies. The sh fting of the presser arm for engaging its roller withthe outer side of the door is effected in such manner that the roller isarranged quite close to the door at the time the spring 9 exerts itspull for holding the door shut, thereby preventing any slack between therollerand door and avoiding any undue noise which otherwise might occur.

Upon swinging the door open its free edge by engaging with the roller fturns the presser arm outwardly again into its inoperative positionuntil the connection between the spring 9 and the presser arm is againarranged in rear of the dead center of the pivot 71, at which time thespring 9 again becomes active and completes the throw of the presser arminto its inoperative position.

It willbe noticed'that in this presser device a comparatively longleverage is obtained whereby the shifting of the presser arm may beeffected easily while at the same time preventing any thumping actionofthe presser rolleragainst the door.

said last mentioned flanges, web and ear be in-g constructed integrallyfrom a single sheet of metal, a spring connecting the ear of saidbracket with the ear of said arm, and a trip adapted to be mounted onsaid door and'to shift said arm for engaging said roller with the rearside of the door, the

rearward movement of said Presseriarm into its inoperative positionbeing limited by a stop device consisting of theinner edge of thepresser arm web engaging with'the outer edge of the bracket web.

iVitness my hand this 24th day of February, 191 i.

ANDREW C. DUNN. Witnesses:

C. 0. Damn, MARTHA FALLENSTEIN.

Sonics of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, byarldressingthe Gommissicner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

